AMBITIOUS plans to make it easier and safer for pedestrians to get around Keighley town centre have been unveiled.

Keighley politicians this week welcomed the designation of the town centre as a Core Walking Zone in a bid to reduce car journeys.

The initiative by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority could see a raft of improvements to keep pedestrians away from vehicles in heavily-congested roads such as Cavendish Street.

The Authority – made up of the county’s five district councils – last Friday identified Keighley as one of several areas to play key role in a new cycling and walking infrastructure plan.

National and European experts are helping develop the plans to improve conditions for people travelling by bike or on foot at key locations across the region.

Efforts would be made to get more people walking through Keighley town centre, particularly to the railway station and adjacent Keighley College, rather than taking short car journeys within the town.

The plans are in early stages, with very few details revealed by the Authority.

But government guidance on setting up such zones suggests a range of infrastructure improvements to make it easier for pedestrians to get around.

Key components can include reducing traffic speeds, new or improved pedestrian crossings, new ‘green’ walking routes away from roads, and wide path separating pedestrians and cycles.

There could also be resurfacing of footways, realignment of roads, improved street lighting, CCTV cameras, dropped curbs, new signs, reducing ‘street clutter’, and more seating so pedestrians can rest.

A report discussed last Friday by the Combined Authority’s Transport Committee said: “Keighley town centre offers a busy town centre environment with concentrations of key points of interest at an appropriate size for the first application of the LCWIP approach in Bradford.

“Analysis of points of interest/trip generators shows the town centre to have one of highest concentrations of trip generators in Bradford district.

“It is proposed that particular focus is given to walking routes linking to Keighley College and Keighley railway station, two of the largest trip generators in the town centre.”

MP John Grogan said he was a big fan of walking around Keighley town centre and he did it all the time.

He said: “If you get chance to raise your gaze above street level there are some really good buildings like the library. The Royal Arcade is a hidden gem and one good move would be to design a better walking route from there into the shopping centre.”

The Walking Zone proposal was also welcomed by by Graham Benn, chairman of Keighley BID (Business Improvement District) which works to encourage more people to shop in Keighley and visit local attractions. He said pavements and roads would benefit from improvements to help pedestrians get around safely.

He said one route ripe for improvement was Cavendish Street, which runs past his shop DIY Solutions and connects the bus station and shopping centre with the railway station and Keighley College.

He said: “It’s difficult to cross at the Sainsbury’s junction, and also to cross Bradford Road at the bottom of Cavendish Street to reach the railway station and college. Anything that makes it easier for people to access the shopping centre is a benefit to us.”

Safety concerns in Cavendish Street were also raised by district councillor Abid Hussain, whose Keighley Central ward would include the zone.

He said: “Cavendish Street is a mess for pedestrians at the moment because of the roads. The Sainsbury’s junction is very dangerous place to walk across.

“I welcome the Walking Zone on safety grounds, and hope it comes about as quickly as possible. It’s a great opportunity for young and older people to have easier access around the town centre.”

Keighley campaign group BANDAG said the Walking Zone idea was not new, since the council’s Core Strategy from the early 2000s called for investment in walking routes to encourage less car use.

The group called on Bradford Council to fulfil its legal duties for existing paths in the proposed zone, including reopening illegally-locked rights-of-way and clearing fly tipping, adding: “Once opened, upgraded or cleared, the thousands of people who used to use these routes will once again use them.”

The Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan is the Government’s long-term approach to boosting the numbers of people travelling by bike or foot.

In West Yorkshire it will feature schemes developed with Netherlands-based mobility specialists Mobycon, UK walking charity Living Streets, and consultants Steer.

The county’s new walking and cycling zones would build on work already underway through the Combined Authority’s £60m CityConnect programme aimed at encouraging more people to cycle and walk.

CityConnect last year funded improvements to the canal towpath between Silsden and Riddlesden – along with several other towpaths around the county – to encourage more cycling, particularly by people travelling to work.

The Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan will support West Yorkshire’s 20-year Transport Strategy with a target of increasing the number of trips made by cycling by 300% over the next 10 years.

A report on the plan recommended resources be identified to deliver the work.

Cllr Alex Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “Encouraging people to walk and cycle more across the district is important to help improve people’s health and saves people money. It also brings wider economic and environmental benefits to the district.”

Cllr Kim Groves, chairman of the authority’s Transport Committee, said: “Adopting this approach will enable us to create new plans for infrastructure to help us achieve our ambition of making cycling and walking the natural choice for short, everyday journeys throughout West Yorkshire.”